Download Classifying organisms

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Classifying different types of organisms
A huge variety of organisms live on our planet. Scientists
have categorized organisms to make them easier to identify.
This is called classification.
Organisms can be classified into
different species. A species
contains individuals with the same
physical characteristics and
common ancestors.
So far, scientists have identified around 290,000 species of
plants, 1,250,000 species of animals and 5 million species
of bacteria living on our planet.
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Vertebrate classification
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More about mammals
Mammals are classified into three subgroups:
 marsupials – They give birth to tiny underdeveloped
young that develop in a pouch outside the mother's
body, e.g. kangaroo.
 monotremes – They lay eggs but
suckle their young, e.g. platypus.
 placentals – The young are attached to a placenta inside
the womb. Newborns are already developed, e.g. bear.
What type of mammal are humans?
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Invertebrate classification
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More about arthropods
Arthropods are divided into four subgroups:
 crustacea – They have gills, more than six legs and two
pairs of antennae, e.g. crab, barnacle, lobster, shrimp.
 insects – They have six legs, and
many have two pairs of wings, e.g.
dragonfly, moth, ladybird, wasp.
 arachnids – They have eight legs,
no wings and their bodies are in two
segments, e.g. spider, mite.
 myriapods – They have many feet and long bodies
of many segments, e.g. millipedes, centipedes.
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Which type of invertebrate?
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